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Money
Money was a medium of exchange used to facilitate transactions of goods or services. In the 20th century and early in the 21st century, dollars were a commonly used for money. ( ; ) During the 2020s, the United States of America used credit chips as a form of currency. ( ) The New World Economy Money in the 21st century sense was not used on 24th century Earth. The exact nature of the Federation economy was difficult to describe; while money may not have entirely ceased to exist, it did not play the central role in the lives of Federation and Earth citizens that it once did. The descriptions given by various Federation citizens varied: * During their excursion to 1986-era San Francisco, Kirk told Spock about 20th century Earth: "They're still using money. We need to get some." Later on, while Kirk was having dinner with Gillian Taylor and was unable to pay in the restaurant, Gillian asked sarcastically, "Don't tell me they don't use money in the 23rd century," and Kirk earnestly replied, "Well, we don't." ( ) * Jean-Luc Picard tried to explain to Ralph Offenhouse from the 20th century that there would be no need for his law firm any longer: "A lot has changed in three hundred years. People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of 'things'. We have eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions." ( ) * When Lily Sloane asked how much the cost to build, Picard told her "The economics of the future is somewhat different. You see, money doesn't exist in the 24th century... The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of Humanity." ( ) * When Nog suggested that Jake should bid for a baseball card in an auction, Jake said "I'm Human, I don't have any money." Nog replied "It's not my fault that your species decided to abandon currency-based economics in favor of some philosophy of self-enhancement." Jake said "Hey, watch it. There's nothing wrong with our philosophy. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity." Nog then replied "What does that mean?" Jake responded "It means we don't need money!" Nog quickly pointed out, however, that Jake wouldn't be able to bid or borrow. ( ) * Tom Paris said about the significance of Fort Knox: "When the New World Economy took shape in the late 22nd century and money went the way of the dinosaur, Fort Knox was turned into a museum." ( ) Money as a figure of speech In certain cases, references to money were made in a manner that were construed or explained as euphemistic or idiomatic, with no literal implications of money directly being used: * When preparing to fight the Klingons on Organia in 2267, Kirk said "Well, the Federation has spent a lot of money on our training..." ( ) * On two occasions later that year, Kirk commented to a subordinate, "You just earned your pay for the week!" ( ) * That same year, Cyrano Jones, after giving her one for free, told Lieutenant Nyota Uhura that "a tribble is the only love that money can buy." ( ) * Shortly before his retirement in the 2290s, Montgomery Scott stated that he had "just bought a boat." ( ) * Leonard McCoy responded to 's constant quotations of William Shakespeare during the battle of Khitomer that "I'd give real money if he'd shut up." ( ) * In 2366, an illusory representation of Rishon Uxbridge referred to her husband Kevin Uxbridge as a "starving student" when she first met him. ( ) * While inside the Nexus, Kirk described an illusion to Picard: "It's my house... I sold it years ago," referring to his former home on Earth. ( ) * Jake Sisko: (big smile) "I sold my first book today." Quark: "Really? How much did you get for it?" Jake: "It's just a figure of speech. The Federation News Service is going to publish a book of my stories about life on the station under Dominion rule." Jake then confirmed Quark's suspicion that he was not paid. ( ) The Federation and money However, wealth was not totally abandoned by all Federation citizens and an individual such as Carter Winston could acquire a vast personal fortune during the late 23rd century. ( ) Notably, the crew of the , faced with severe resource limitations after being flung into the Delta Quadrant, treated rations on replicator and holodeck use as currency and traded these among themselves. Bartender Quark had repeated financial interactions with Federation personnel. On numerous occasions, Starfleet officers gambled to win latinum at Quark's Bar, including Julian Bashir, Thomas Riker, and Jadzia Dax. ( ; ) His bar would also extend credit to its patrons, including Federation citizens and members of Starfleet. ( , ) In 2372 he sold his damaged shuttle Quark's Treasure for scrap in the Sol system, and was given enough to cover passage back to Deep Space 9. ( ) Later that year Benjamin Sisko threatened Quark to collect on five years "back rent" that was unpaid, though the actual motivation behind the threat was not fiscal. ( ) Quark later stated that he was in debt to some unnamed Humans, but considered defaulting on them a trivial matter. ( ) In 2373, he indirectly caused damage to a cargo bay, and was informed that he would have to bear the burden for the repairs, though it was not clear if this burden was financial in nature. ( ) When Quark rescued from a Federation starbase after his arrest on Thalos VI, he had to pay a fine before he could be released. ( ) Other mentions * Captain Kirk offered to reimburse the miners of Rigel XII for lithium crystals in 2266, but was rebuffed in favor of bartering for Harry Mudd's female companions. ( ) * In 2285, Leonard McCoy wanted to pay a smuggler to transport him to the . ( ) * In 2364, Beverly Crusher bought a roll of cloth at Farpoint Station and had her account on the billed. ( ) * In 2366, Picard purchased a Horga'hn on Risa. ( ) * As of the 24th century, the Bank of Bolias was a major financial institution, and Bolarus IX had a market economy that fluctuated in value. ( ) * When Kathryn Janeway told Kes the story of Tuvok and the Vulcan master he acquired a meditation lamp from, she included the bit about how the price was doubled when he discovered they were with Starfleet. ( ) Monetary units *Darsek (Klingon Empire) *Dirak (Karemman) *Dorak (Barkon IV) *Federation credit (United Federation of Planets) *Dollar (Canada) *Dollar (United States of America) *Franc (France) *Frang ( ) *Isik (various) *Gold-pressed latinum (various) *Lek (Cardassian Union) *Lita (Bajoran Provisional Government) *Penny *Pound (Old Britain) *Quatloo (Providers of Triskelion) *Reichsmark (Germany, 1924-1948) *Renn (Mari) *Scudo (Italy) *Shilling *Terran Imperial credit (Terran Empire) Background information Ronald D. Moore commented: "By the time I joined TNG, Gene had decreed that money most emphatically did NOT exist in the Federation, nor did 'credits' and that was that. Personally, I've always felt this was a bunch of hooey, but it was one of the rules and that's that." Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, screenwriters of , said in a question-and-answer session with fans that "there's money, or some kind of credit system" in the alternate reality. http://trekmovie.com/2009/05/22/orci-and-kurtzman-reveal-star-trek-details-in-trekmovie-fan-qa/ There are also many mentions of payment and currency in the TNG novel Balance of Power by Dafydd ab Hugh. A cut scene in the script of would have established that, as of 2063, "no one" had used currency in ten years, apparently due to scarcity. However, a currency called Dome money was also mentioned. There are non-canonical references to Federation citizens receiving allotments of Replicator Credits (to provide food and other material needs) and Structure Credits (for housing and storage) in some Trek-derived works. This article uses material from and , and Usenet articles by Timo S. Saloniemi. de:Geld fr:Monnaie Category:Economics Category:Currency